The Dark One Rises
by LadyAkuma20
Summary: **SPOILERS FROM THE END OF SEASON 4!** Once Emma becomes the Dark One, her world is shifted upside down. Her soul is sent to another realm, and she finds lost love there, but on the other hand... where is the rest of her... the Dark One? And can Hook bring her back to the light? Romance, Adventure, Fantasy, Angst, all rolled into one. Both Swanfire AND Captain Swan!
1. Ch 1- Awakening

"We have to do what the sorcerer did; we have to tether it to a person to contain it!" Emma said as she walked over to the darkness surrounding Regina.

"EMMA!"

"No!" Regina said, looking at Emma with pained eyes. "There HAS to be another way!"

Emma's eyes were wide, scared of what she was about to have to do. "There isn't… You've worked too hard to have your happiness destroyed!" she said, her eyes filling with tears.

"NO!"

She turned to her father, determination on her face, "You figured out how to take the darkness out of me once…You need to do it again…as heroes."

"EMMA…EMMA PLEASE!" Killian rushed forward, grabbing her arm and turning her to him. "No… don't do this…" he said, as her eyes that were filled with tears finally spilled over.

"I love you." She said, choking on tears, as she pressed her head to Killian's, then pushed him back and plunged the dagger of the Dark One into the darkness around Regina. The darkness left Regina and flowed through her, traveling down her arm and surrounding her. She gave a scream of pain, the light in her being snuffed out. She managed to look at her parents, Killian, and Regina and Robin one more time before the darkness swirled around her and engulfed her fully, swirling up and finally vanishing, leaving behind the Dark One's dagger… which now said Emma Swan on it.

* * *

She opened her eyes slowly, looking up at the swirling purple and green clouds above her, and she groaned, rubbing her head and sitting up. She looked confused, taking in the strange scenery around her and getting to her feet.

That was when she noticed… she wasn't in her clothes anymore. She was in a long princess dress, a pale purple, but it was tattered and dirty. Her hair was filthy, hanging in her face, and everything smelled strange… It was disgusting, to be honest…

Where was she?

Pushing her hair out of her eyes, she took a few steps forward, and gasped as she finally viewed what was around her.

All around was clouds… smoke, and a smell of brimstone, permeated the air around her, choking her, making it hard to breathe. That was when she realized, she didn't need to breathe.

Everything felt strange… Her fingers were cold and clammy…

"Where AM I?"

"Emma?"

She knew that voice. That voice is dead, he can't be here. Her head whipped around, her eyes wide.

"Emma? What are you doing here?"

Neal…

"Am…Am I dead?" she whispered, as he let out a breath and pulled her to him. Her arms hung limp by her side, as she let him hold her.

"You're not dead, Emma. You're safe here, for now. How did you get here…?"

She explained how she had tethered the darkness to her body, since it had been pulled from his father. Neal shook his head. "Emma I'm so sorry, you should never have had to come here…"

"Where is here, anyhow?"

He looked up. "It's an in-between realm… a place where the souls tainted by darkness go. It's not a safe place, Emma. This place is for the damned."

She tilted her head at him. "Why are you here, then?"

"Because of the magic I used to bring back my father… my punishment for reviving the darkness for my own selfish ways is to be banished here. I can't move on. I couldn't return to my body, but I can't go to the afterlife. I'm stuck." He said, as she looked down at her feet.

"So I'm stuck here too now." She stated.

"No, Emma, I'm going to get you out of here. I know you, if you can get back to your body, you can fight the darkness and get your body back. Henry needs you, Emma." He said, as she nodded.

"I can't just leave you here, knowing you're trapped here now, Neal… Henry needs his father. He needs more than just stories, he's getting older. He doesn't want to talk to me about… things. He needs a man to help steer him in the right direction, and you're his dad."

Neal shook his head. "Only one person can get me out of here, Emma. You can't."

Emma looked up at him. "Merlin?"

Neal's eyes widened and he pulled back to look at her. "How did you know that?"

She sighed. "It's a really long story… Suffice it to say, you've missed a lot…"

He shrugged. "Fill me in? We've got time."

* * *

A month had passed in Storybrooke. Not hide nor hair had been seen of Emma… but Regina had her dagger.

And in that moment, she was staring at it, contemplating what she was going to do with it.

"Regina?"

Robin walked in the room, coming up behind Regina and wrapping her arms around the tired mayor. Regina rested her head back on Robin's chest, sighing. "I keep thinking, maybe today it will work… maybe I can summon her today, but then I think… it's my fault she's gone… and I can't face her."

He shook his head at her and kissed her shoulder. "It was not your fault."

"But it was, Robin… that darkness was surrounding ME, not her… she took my place, Robin…"

"Anyone else could have stepped in, Regina. Snow and Charming, neither of them are fully innocent, they could have stepped in, they chose not to. Killian could have stepped in, he probably would have, actually, if Emma hadn't pushed him back. You do not deserve constant punishment. You've changed, Regina. You are not the Evil Queen anymore."

Regina closed her eyes, tears falling from her eyes. She still felt responsible for all of this… and now Henry didn't have his birth mother in his life, again. And again, it was her fault.

She wiped her face, putting on her brave face.

"So, what news of the Wicked Bitch of the West and the… you know."

He shifted uncomfortably. "She's rubbing it in, which we all knew would happen… She's so damn smug. But the baby is healthy. I swear Regina, when that child is born I will get… what did you call it?"

"Custody, Robin. It's called custody." She said, as he nodded.

"I will get custody of that baby. I will keep her as far from him or her as I can. Zelena will rot in that cell, for killing Marian, for screwing with us, for all of it. She will pay, Regina."

Regina nodded, but inside, she was scoffing. Oh she was paying all right; she was paying her way in attitude and spite.

At that moment, Killian decided to barge into her office for the third time that day. Well, saved by the hook…

"What can I do for you now, pirate?"

"You can get off your bum and come down to Granny's diner, and help Belle. She needs someone with magic, and I doubt Lily and Maleficent are willing to help her."

"And I should help her… why?" Regina asked, propping her chin on her hand, as Robin squeezed her shoulder.

"Because if she gets the Crocodile awake, perhaps he can take back his accursed darkness and we can summon Emma, heal her." He said, as Regina shook her head.

"That's not going to work. I've never seen a heart like his is now, I can't even begin to imagine what waking him would do… or if he even has the capacity for darkness anymore."

"You have to try something! It's been a month! We need to summon her here!"

"And that will help how? What if she can't be controlled? We have no idea what a Dark One, Savior-Edition will be like. It's like mixing alcohol and milk, you don't know what you're going to get until you do it, and sometimes, it curdles and goes bad fast. I don't want to put Henry in that danger." Regina said, narrowing her eyes at Hook.

He slammed his hand on her desk and turned to leave as Robin grabbed his arm.

"That's not a recommended course of action, pirate."

"And what are you going to do? Shoot me with a twig?"

"Go drown in a barrel of rum and leave Regina alone." Robin glared, as Hook sneered.

"Please, you're a second-rate Hawkeye at best. I'm not scared of you, Avengers-wannabe." Hook snickered at the confused look on Robin's face. Thank God Henry had been forcing him to watch new movies. He was quite fond of that Avengers junk right now.

Robin glared, but let go of his arm. Hook walked to the door, but stopped in the door frame. "You're the only person who can fix this, Regina. Her parents are too shell shocked to take care of their infant, do you think they're going to help their adult child? Henry can't do this, he's too young. I have no magic, I have nothing but the ability to fight… but you CAN fix this."

"The question is… will you?" he said, as he walked out the door, allowing it to slam behind him.

* * *

"So wait a second… You and Hook, huh?" Neal asked her with a strange look on his face.

If she could have blushed, she would have. Instead, Emma opted to just shoot him a look. "Don't go there. Seriously, you do not want to go there."

He just gave her the same perplexed look. "What in the world do you see in him? Unless you're into alcoholics who chase after fairy's backsides now?"

She glared. "He doesn't do that." After a moment, she added, "Anymore…" to that statement, in a hushed tone.

Neal grunted, kicking at a rock as they walked, and talked. "So, have you two…you know."

"Oh I REALLY don't think that's any of your business, Neal." She said, crossing her arms.

Letting out a breath, he sighed. "I know, I know. It's just… it's hard. Has it really been that long? It only felt like days here. Not months…It literally feels like yesterday since we said goodbye, Emma… It feels like yesterday that I left you."

Emma nodded. "It's been a while… I had to move on, Neal… Remember what I told you in Neverland? I was hoping you were actually dead so that it wouldn't hurt so bad to lose you again? When I lost you, it hurt so bad that I wanted to die… but I couldn't. And Killian was there, he picked me up, he fixed me. When my mom and dad lied to me and let me down, when Ingrid tried to bind me and Elsa to her, even with Henry… he's been there, he's tried to help me. He hasn't told me what to do, but he's been there. I needed that, Neal…"

He sighed, before nodding. "I knew you'd move on. I'm sorry, Emma… I'm sorry I pulled that stupid stunt that ended up getting me killed… I knew better. I knew I shouldn't be bringing him back, but I wanted one more chance… I thought you and Henry were gone forever… As much as I wanted to hope we would find each other, I lost that faith…"

Emma wiped her tears from her eyes. "We both made mistakes."

Silence overtook them as they looked ahead… and Emma squinted. "Hey… what IS that?"

Neal tilted his head. "I have no idea… I've never seen it before."

Emma shrugged. What did they have to lose, anyhow? They were both, for lack of a better term, dead, right?

"So, let's go find out what it is. Maybe we can get some answers there."

Neal nodded. "May as well… I'm going to get you back home, Emma, you can count on that."

Emma hiked up her dress, and began to move towards the large, castle-like building in the distance. She kicked off the rather annoying, painful shoes that she had come here in, and, barefoot, she made her way to the building, Neal at her side.

 ***AUTHOR'S NOTE!- Oh my goodness I am finally getting to WRITE this! I hope you enjoy, I'm about to rock this place with all kinds of plot bunnies! If you enjoy, please review, that always makes my day. :) ***


	2. Ch 2- Avalon

Pushing through the dense forest, Emma yelped as yet another branch whacked her in the face. They'd been walking for hours, and it felt like they were no closer to the building they had seen hours before. In fact, it almost felt like they were farther away…

"This is ridiculous, we should have made some headway by now!" she said, pushing the branch out of her way with a flick of her hand.

Neal shrugged at her. "You get used to it… the laws of physics don't always apply here." He said, as Emma glared.

"Well it sucks. It really sucks."

A growl from behind her made her whip her head around to glare at Neal. "You don't need to growl at me, you know."

He blinked. "I didn't… I thought it was you…"

With that said, he pulled the sword he had sheathed on his hip, and her hands went up, and to the surprise of both, they glowed.

"How the hell are you using magic here?" Neal asked her, as her eyes widened.

"I have no idea, I swear…"

They didn't get a chance to discuss it further, because at that moment, the creature, or creatures as it were, revealed themselves.

"Shit. Soul-reapers." Neal said, making Emma look at him.

"What the hell is a Soul-reaper? And why didn't you mention it before?!"

"I haven't seen any for months! And they're actually mythical beasts, in the Enchanted Forest there were stories of beasts that skulked between the realms, devouring souls on the nights of the full moon." He said, grunting as one leapt at him and bit down on the sword that Neal had lifted in defense. "Emma, GO!" he said, gesturing for her to run.

* * *

"Regina… not that I agree with the pirate, but I do think you should… I don't know… help Belle." Robin said, as Regina sighed.

"Fine. Only because you asked, though, not because of him." She said, getting up and locking the Dark One dagger in her desk. She and Robin left the room, turning off the lights.

Minutes later, a sound of lockpicking filled the quiet room.

The door opened, as Killian walked in. "I'm not waiting for you to do something, Queen…" he muttered, as he began tearing the place up in his search. He found one area locked… her desk drawer.

Using his hook, he broke the lock and pulled the drawer open, as the dagger gleamed in the small amount of light.

He picked it up, and tucked it into his coat, and left. As he hit the street, he began jogging towards the forest.

* * *

Emma raised her hands, light magic flowing from them and pushing the beasts back. Neal threw his hand over his eyes, dropping his sword, and Emma sent another pulse of light magic at them, making them growl, but run off.

She ran to Neal and offered him a hand to help him up. "Are you alright?"

He gave her a relieved smirk. "I thought I was supposed to be the one saving you."

She gave him a grin in return. "Not hardly."

He stood, and looked at her, his face changing to something more confused. "Why'd you stay? You could have ran away and escaped…"

She sucked in air… "Because… I couldn't lose you again Neal. I've done it twice. I think a third time would break me into a million pieces….I don't know why… I felt as if… I had moved on. But I haven't." she said, as he pulled her to him and kissed her gently.

"Emma, I'm not leaving you again… I'm always going to be here for you."

She pressed her face into his chest, and breathed in his scent… A scent she had missed. It brought back memories of squatting in empty hotel rooms with him, living day by day, but happy.

She sighed. "Well we still need to check out that building, huh?" Looking up, she gasped. Behind the tree-line now, was the building… which was a large white castle. "What… it wasn't there before!"

Neal shrugged. "I told you… this place defies the laws of physics as we know them."

She grabbed his hand, and they walked through the trees and to the main doors of the castle. Entering, Emma looked up… all of it looked vaguely familiar…

"What is this place…"

"This whole realm is Avalon, dungeon for the darkness…"

Both of them turned around, Emma's hands flew up, but in the castle, nothing happened.

"Who are you? I've never seen this castle or you…" Neal said, as the man chuckled.

"Calm yourself, Baelfire… Princess Emma, your light magic will not work here. No magic works in this castle but mine."

"Who are you." Emma asked bluntly.

"Why, dear child… I am Merlin."

* * *

In the forest outside of Storybrooke, a different kind of meeting was about to occur.

A dagger raised in the air...

"EMMA SWAN, I SUMMON THEE!"

Darkness began swirling around him, forming into one shape in front of him…

* * *

Emma's body was wracked with pain. She fell to her knees, screaming in agony.

"What's happening?! Emma!" Neal knelt with her, pushing her hair out of her face.

"It's a side effect of what happened before she was born… There is a way to fix it, to stop her anguish, but I will have to undo the magic her parents did, and return the potential for darkness that was stolen. I have to fix her halves." Merlin said to Neal, as he nodded.

"Save her. Stop her pain!"

Merlin's hands touched her forehead, and he began to mutter in the ancient language. A bright purple light entered the room, engulfing her, as the light swarmed into Emma's soul… and she began to separate. Merlin, his eyes glowing, muttered, "Two halves to one whole, no more. No more must you be combined to live… you have what makes you whole once more, you can separate, and be yourselves…"

A flash of light, and on one side was the Emma that Neal had fallen in love with… glasses, blond hair pulled back, red jacket, and a confused look on her face. To her right, was… a woman in dark black, black pants, a black lace shirt, her hair was unkempt and in her face, and her skin was pale. This 'Emma' screamed, a dark scream, and was pulled away from that realm in a swirl of blackness.

Neal stared at Emma, and helped her to her feet, looking her over. "You… what happened?" he asked, turning to Merlin. "What did you do?"

Merlin clasped his hands in front of himself.

"I undid the interference of Issac, Snow, David, and my Apprentice. I fixed what had long ago been broken."

* * *

Killian stared as the darkness absorbed into the body in front of him, and took a step closer. "Emma?"

The woman's head snapped up, and her hand raised up, choking Killian and making him gasp as her dark eyes focused on him. He struggled to raise the dagger, before choking out the words, "Dark One… release…me… I command…you."

Her face twisted as her power left her, forcing her to release Killian. She snarled, dropping her hands to her side.

"You summoned me, pirate… what do you want?" she said coldly.

He was taken back by her coldness, by her darkness… he had been expecting his Emma, bound to the dagger, but still his Emma. Not this… not this evil that was in front of him now…

"Let us help you, Emma… please…" he pleaded with her, as she curled her lips in a sneer and gave a wicked laugh.

"Help me? You people are the reason I'm like this. My parents, they're the reason I was the way I was… It always felt like something was missing, and now I've gotten it back. I am my own identity. And I do not need your help!"

She began to disappear, as Killian lifted the dagger.

"I command you to stay here, harm no one in the town, and await my next command." He whispered, as she let out a howl of frustration. He whispered another command. "I command you to not harm me." He walked up and knelt in front of her, tucking some hair behind her ear as she growled at him.

"Just wait, pirate… I will get my dagger and you will rue the day you controlled me…"

* * *

"Wait, what about me was 'broken?" Emma asked, leaning against Neal, still weak from the magic performed.

"We must start from the beginning. The magic performed on you as a baby. What you must understand is that one needs not only light, but darkness, to survive. You have to have a balance. If the balance is disturbed, then you cannot live. The spell that took your darkness affected more than you… it affected your sister."

She shook her head. "I'm an only child, or I was until recently…"

"You were not at the time. You were one of two, a twin. When the magic was ripped from you and your sister, you both struggled to live, and to try and fix the void that was created, you instinctively merged into one. One body, one mind, but two hearts and enough magic for two. It is how you were so powerful, why your heart tugged in two directions. You met the true loves destined for both of you… So you were pulled, divided… until one choice was taken from you. At that moment, you began to shift, your personality changed and shifted from one to another … this was also because of this magic. Now, I have split you. You are your own individual persons again, your initial darkness was returned. However, the Dark One is still tethered to your sister, as it was her personality that was in charge when the magic was tethered to you."

Neal looked to Merlin, as he helped Emma to a seat. "So, wait… This is Emma. My Emma? She was in Neverland, the separated my father and myself… but when I was taken away from her, she ended up shifting to… her sister… who loves Killian?"

Merlin nodded, while Emma stared at the floor. "So my parents… their plan would have killed me initially?" Merlin nodded again, more cautiously this time. Emma took a breath, still shell-shocked from all of it.

"So… what do we do?" Emma asked him. Merlin sighed, sitting beside Emma.

"Unfortunately, this is my fault. The Dark One was created by me… I tore it from Queen Ma'eb, in my quest to free Camelot from her influence and her darkness. But it could not go untethered… so I found a host, a willing host, and I tethered the darkness to him. You see, as long as it tethered to a non-magical person, the danger was minimalized. If it was attached to someone like Ma'eb, she would be able to kill someone with a blink, a whisper… You must find Ma'eb. She is in the ancient ritual grounds, trapped in a cave of mystic energy. You will have to break the seal to release her, then use a spell to capture her. You will then take her to your world, and use this," he handed them another dagger, straight, and giving off a soft glow. "to pull that magic into her. This was always my problem… I should have never sent her darkness to another realm. I will find a way, while you are on this quest, to seal Ma'eb once and for all, without releasing the darkness once more. It will take some time, but it will be done."

Neal looked at him. "How do we go back? We're…well, dead, right?"

Merlin smiled. "Not exactly… you see, you are alive, but in a limbo of sorts. Your body, Baelfire, was damaged beyond repair, but the magic of Avalon gave you new life. Emma was in limbo because the Dark One, which was tethered to her sister, was dormant until someone summoned her. To get back, you will go to Arthur and Guinevere in Camelot. They will be able to help you, to give you the items you need to return to your realm."

Emma looked up, a smile on her face. "You mean…"

Merlin nodded. "Yes, Emma… you are going to go home.

 ***AUTHOR'S NOTE: And that is how you do Captain Swan and Swanfire in one fic and give both sides the love they deserve. I hope you like it, I hope it's interesting if nothing else! Reviews are ALWAYS welcome! Coming soon... Chapter 3: The Quest for Camelot!***


	3. Ch 3- The quest for Arthur

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

Regina's scream of anger could be heard across the room as the blond on her desk sat back, made a nail file appear, and began to file her nails. Killian at least looked sheepish about the whole thing.

"You do realize that if she ever, and I mean EVER, gets hold of the dagger, she will be able to kill ALL of us with a snap, right?!" she asked him, as he nodded.

"I had to-"

"Had to what?! To try? Well, very well done, pirate! You succeeded in bringing Emma here, but you also brought all her darkness with her!"

Regina was absolutely fuming. She had told him to wait, it was pretty much all she had asked him to do, but could he do it? Nope. Instead he had not only stolen the dagger, but had summoned the dark one here.

He was just about as annoying as the Charmings themselves could be.

Emma smirked, looking up at them. "If you're done whining, I think I'm going to go to Granny's… get some shots, maybe turn someone into a donkey…"

"You'll do no such thing. Hook told us he commanded you not to harm the townspeople here." Regina glared at her, making Emma grin.

"It doesn't hurt them to turn them into livestock." She said, as Regina shook her head and glared once more.

"No. You'll stay with Hook. HE can deal with you, since he brought you here." Regina said, as she turned to Killian.

"As for you… you're lucky I'm not tossing you in jail. Get her some food, but try and not let everyone see her… I don't want to cause a panic, and I REALLY don't want Snow and David to find out she's here… that's the last thing we need…" Regina said, waving Hook and Emma out of the room. As they walked out, the door clicking behind them, Regina simply stared out the window.

It should have been her. Emma took the darkness that had chosen Regina into her own body, and that was why her soul was this inky-black darkness, almost like death itself. They had to find a way to fix this, to help Emma… dooming her to this life for eternity or until death was too much.

"If I could get back to the Enchanted Forest, maybe I could figure this out… we don't even have a way to travel in between realms, so we can't even find the original enchanter… We're stuck in the mud until we have some answers…"

* * *

Back in Avalon, Emma and Neal trekked towards Camelot Castle with determined faces. No one had really spoken on the fact that a twin sister had separated from her, it had been filed in the 'things we can discuss when we're done here' bin. Well, to Emma it had anyhow. To Neal? It was in the 'urgent matters' bin, and he was about ready to open up the lines of discussion.

"Emma, are you ok?" he asked, as she looked at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine, why?"

"Well, I mean a human just came out of you, and not in the giving birth way… that would freak anyone out… you just found out you're a twin and that your parents almost killed you… Things are not exactly all that great… And who knows who summoned your twin, anyone could be using her…"

"Thank you for being a pessimist! Can we keep moving now?" Emma snapped, shooting him a look. "You're making me really question why I'm so glad to have you back."

He stopped in his tracks and stared at her. "You're… really glad to have me back?" he asked, as she sighed.

"Yes, Neal. I'm glad to have you back. I missed you… I still love you. I never stopped. But I want to get back to our son too… and that won't happen if we sit here talking."

He walked up to her, cupped her face, and kissed her soundly. It sent tingles from her lips to her toes, making her sigh and lean into him. He breathlessly released her, pressing his forehead to hers before looking up.

"We're almost there, Emma. Let's ask Arthur and Guinevere how to get to Ma'eb and then get home." Neal gave her shoulder a squeeze, as she nodded at him. They continued their trek through the warped Avalon landscape, trying to keep track of their place… where they had been , and what direction they were going, and focusing on their destination, as Merlin had said…

 _"To get to Camelot, you need to focus on your destination. Avalon will take you there in its own way, but you have to focus. If your focus slips too much, you can end up somewhere dangerous…"_

 _"What, the forest with the dogs?" Neal asked, and Merlin shook his head._

 _"No, young one… The land of the lost. Those who end up there rarely come out of there. In fact, Arthur has knighted all who have because they showed great bravery to escape. It is that difficult."_

 _"So stay on your path. Do not stray."_

And believe me, they were heeding his words. In some corner of their mind, they were keeping Camelot in their minds.

And little did they know, it was paying off, as a white castle was soon looming before them. Exchanging a look… they moved towards the entrance.

* * *

Killian watched this… dark, twisted version of his love sit in the room with one pointed heeled boot in the air, zapping holes in the ceiling with her magic.

"I could bring this whole place down with a blink, you know. All of it, on your head. It would bury you alive. I would dance on it and sing and you would be trying to get out." She sneered at him, as he shook his head.

"You don't mean that, Emma. Come on, the Crocodile wasn't like this when he was the Dark One, not to this extent. Don't let the darkness dictate who you are." He said to her, as she cackled.

"You really haven't figured it out yet, huh? Rumplestiltskin wasn't this way because his magic was not as strong as mine is. I am darkness. My power has been intensified ten-fold with this dark lusciousness. I can punish those I deem worthy of it, with the greatest of ease. You are all under my power."

Killian glared. "You're forgetting one thing… I have your dagger. You've been commanded not to harm anyone, you'll do as I said."

She made a pouty face. "Aw, that sounds… harsh… You're giving me demands now, Killian? I thought you trusted me?"

"I trust Emma. I don't trust whatever you are. Summoning you was a mistake, I can see now, you've taken Emma and blotted her out into nothing. If I could send you back, I would." Killian glared, as Emma laughed.

"The HILARIOUS thing is, you have no idea about everything that happened since you began the summoning."

As she was about to let out another insult, the door opened with a loud bang. Regina, followed by Snow and Charming, walked in. Regina looked to Killian, noting the mild desperation in his eyes, before saying…

"Hook… don't hold me to this… but I may have a way to bring back our Emma… at least for a short time."

* * *

In the white castle in Avalon, Emma and Neal were beyond words. It was magnificent, like a movie… but there were no people. The few they had seen looked to be asleep…

"What… is this?" Emma asked, wiping away a bit of dust from a knight's armor, the knight fast asleep at his watch.

"You're in Camelot, my castle, and you are trespassing."

Both of them whipped around to see a man in a chest plate, a silver and gold sword raised up, crown on his head, and his wife, tall, brown hair, and crown on her head, behind them. The king raised his sword and began to move towards them, his face set in a dark line.

Neal took a fighting stance, as Emma put her hands up. "No, no, wait! We were sent here by Merlin!"

The king stopped, before lowering his sword. "The sorcerer sent you… why?"

"He wants us to bring the darkness back to Ma'eb." Neal said, as the king narrowed his eyes.

"He would never want to do that. Ma'eb is evil incarnate. He would never return her darkness to her, to restore that calamity." Arthur said, as he went to swing his sword at Neal.

In a swirl of purple and blue, Merlin appeared and stopped Arthur's blow.

"My lord, you cannot harm these travelers."

Arthur's mouth turned into a snarl. "And why should I trust you, Merlin? The last time I trusted you, my court went into an endless sleep and our whole realm became Avalon, and was thrust into limbo. Why should I trust you now?"

"Because they are the key to fixing all I have done, Arthur… They will right the wrong that was taking all the darkness from Albion. Returning the darkness to Ma'eb and restoring Morgana is the key…"

Emma looked at him. "Morgana?"

"She is known by many names… Morgana… Morgan LaFay… but she is a powerful witch who tied her soul to Ma'eb. When I took the darkness from Ma'eb, her soul was ripped from her, which… caused us to go into limbo. Our whole realm was torn asunder, and it was my fault. I could not right the wrong, because I feared the darkness returning to our lands. For a time, I believed that this was better than Ma'eb and Morgana's darkness. I was wrong. I have spent many years looking for a spell to fix this, and I have found one."

Arthur looked to Merlin. "And they need… what… from me?"

"The holy grail, and they already have the blade I gave you, one formed from Dragon's Breath like Excalibur. The grail will revive the latest victim, and the sword will remove the darkness and return it to Ma'eb, as the dagger is tied to the old magic and religion."

He turned to Emma. "Emma, you must stab your sister with the dagger. The darkness will be brought back here, as you both were initially, and then you will be able to heal and revive her with the holy grail. Once filled with water, it will be blessed and will be able to heal all wounds."

Neal gave him a look. "When were you planning to tell Emma she would have to kill her sister?"

Merlin sighed. "I was planning to inform you after you freed Ma'eb. I should have told you earlier, but…"

Neal glared. "You didn't have faith in her. You don't have to say it, we can see it. Emma CAN do this, and she will. She's the Savior."

Merlin nodded. "I hope you are right."

Queen Guinevere pushed past her husband. "Please, forgive these rude men… stay for a meal, and a night's rest. As you know, it won't be long in your world, and you will have the rest you will need to go after Ma'eb. She is a formidable foe, powerful in the dark arts, even with the darkness pulled from her. She is deadly, and will be difficult to contain."

She smiled. "But that is enough of that for now, come. There will be food and drink!" she said, leading Emma and Neal to a room.

Once they were finally alone, Emma sank into a chair and sighed.

"Are you alright?" Neal asked, as she shook her head.

"No, I'm not. I'm tired, and I've just found out that I have to potentially kill a sister I had no idea I had… to protect my son, I have to lose a sister, possibly forever if Merlin is wrong about the grail's powers. I'm not alright…"

He moved to her and pulled her to him, stroking her hair lightly.

"It's alright, Emma, I've got you. I'll support you no matter what you do…"

She nodded, but closed her eyes… because there was only one option… She would have to kill her sister.

 ****Author's Note: Sorry it took so long, I'm trying to wrap up a SG:Atlantis fic at the same time as I'm working on this, so I'll write a chapter for that, then one for this, and back and forth. Hope it was worth the wait though!****

 ****2- I didn't think this needed adding, but I feel I need to explain where I'm going with this. There are 2 Emma's now. One who will end up with Neal who's name will remain Emma, and one who will end up with Hook who's name is going to end up as Swann. This is literally an experimental attempt to try and satisfy 2 fandoms as much as possible. I realize that this will not always happen, and for that, I do apologize, especially if the story is not what you initially thought it would be. I thought this would be an interesting twist. It's not canon and it's just what was in my mind at the time. It's not going to be a super long fic, but the plot point of 2 Emma's, which would have led to multiple stories that were based around this plot, but this fic here will have another... I want to say 4 chapters if I can help it. Again, this is supposed to be both Swanfire and Capt'Swan. Not one or the other. Swanfire is not being sacrificed for this fic, neither is Capt'Swan. I happen to enjoy Neal/Baelfire, I don't think he's horrible because of their age difference. (I believe she was on the verge of 18 at the time, so for all we know they didn't do anything sexual until age 18 for her.)**

 **Totally didn't mean for this to be a mini rant. I'm sorry! ^_^'**

 **If you like it, enjoy! Sorry for the ramble! I sincerely felt like it may be confusing some people. ****


	4. Ch 4- Truth Revealed

****Author's Note- It's coming to a close, maybe 2 chapters left! (I knew this wasn't going to be super long.) Next chapter, finding Dark One Emma and returning things to their proper place. Next update will be as soon as I can, I want to get some headway made on my Stargate fic. Enjoy! ****

Dagger tucked into her pants leg and grail strapped to her back, Emma continued her trek towards the ritual grounds that contained Ma'eb, Neal at her side. She was quiet, forlorn… she was ready, honestly, to go home and never think of this place again… but as her feet crunched the leaves, she also dreaded going home… It meant she was one step closer to ending her other half. A half that had kept her whole for years…

"Neal…. I can't. I can't kill her." She said, as Neal stopped and looked at her.

"Emma you may not have a choice…" he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and giving her a warm squeeze. She sighed.

"I know. But… how can I be expected to just be able to kill someone who kept me alive for so long? Without each other, we'd be dead…" she kicked some leaves off to the side. "I mean, honestly… how can anyone expect that of me?"

"I know, it's not fair, it's not right, but it's what has to happen… She's too powerful, and take it from someone who knows the power the Dark One can have… she'd kill everyone the first chance she got."

Emma nodded, as they continued walking, side by side this time.

Hopefully things were going ok at home, too…

* * *

Regina threw the last of the ingredients into the black cauldron that was bubbling in front of them, her face a mask of concentration. Hook was restraining Emma, who was trying to run even after being commanded to stop. Regina motioned to Hook to bring her over.

"She needs to inhale the fumes, it's been made specifically for her so it won't affect us, but the further away she is the less it will work."

Killian nodded and brought her close, making her stand next to the cauldron with a determined face. "It's for your own good, love."

"Bite me, bilge rat." She spat at him, making Regina roll her eyes as she cut off a piece of Emma's hair, throwing it into the cauldron. Dual-colored smoke began to billow from the cauldron, making Regina blink in confusion.

"It's supposed to be one color."

As Emma inhaled the fumes, she calmed, before her eyes went to a duller, more subtle shade. She blinked, looking at her parents in confusion from their spot in the room.

"Mom? Dad?" she looked behind her. "Killian, I don't…"

"Shush, love. We don't have a lot of time with you. Tell us what happened, where were you."

Emma thought for a moment, before looking up at him. "I was in Avalon."

"Avalon?" Regina asked, confused. "Land of Arthur and his Knights? I thought the legend of the Dark One's origin was a myth."

"No, it's real… I heard Merlin say some of it…"

"You saw Merlin?" Charming asked, moving forward, as she nodded.

"Yes. When Killian summoned me… it was killing me. He… he pulled my…our darkness… from Lily and returned it to us."

"Us, what do you mean, us?" Snow asked, frowning.

"I… I have a twin. A sister… when you took our darkness you almost killed us, you left us half complete… so we… merged… to become one. Merlin told my sister all of this… I heard it vaguely through a bond we share from being together so long." Her face was a mask of confusion, like she was remembering through a fog.

Snow's face fell, and tears welled in her eyes. "We almost killed you?"

Regina looked at her. "It makes sense… we have to have a balance to live, we're all a balance of light and dark energy, we just choose what we want to be…"

Emma nodded. "She is… still in Avalon. With Baelfire. It's how we had two true loves at once, as well… I'm trying to remember things she's heard, but it's getting harder…"

Killian's face fell slightly, and Emma looked at him. "I'm here, Killian. You will find a way to get this darkness out of me and get me back…" she said, before grabbing her stomach and wrenching herself forward in pain.

"It's coming back… I can't stop it! If… my sister can't stop it, you have to seal me away! Do what needs to be done!" Her eyes went dark after that and she looked at them angrily.

"You are going to pay dearly for that…"

Killian quickly held up the dagger, but she grinned as she flung a table at him and knocked it away from him. Disappearing in a cloud of smoke, she appeared knelt next to her dagger, and she bared her teeth, which were morphing into sharp white daggers in front of their eyes.

"Lookie what you dropped…" she sneered, picking it up as Charming moved forward to stop her. She used her magic to fling a paperweight at his head, bashing it open and knocking him out.

"CHARMING!" Snow yelled and knelt next to him, her face worried and sad.

"Charming! You're all I live for! Screw my kids, I don't care about them! I mean, didn't you split your heart in half when you were pregnant with Neal? You could have killed him like you almost killed us. You didn't even care about him, or us, just your perfect little image." Emma sneered as Snow stared at her.

"I'm sorry…"

"Sorry doesn't cut it sometimes." Emma growled, as she turned to Regina, waving. "Toodles." She said, vanishing with the dagger.

Regina moved to Charming and cast a healing spell, healing him enough to wake him, and she moved to Killian.

"Wake up pirate, we're in big trouble…"

* * *

In Avalon, Emma looked up at a huge stone… shrine, was the only word for it. It was covered in ancient language, and behind it was a cave.

"If this isn't the place he meant, I'll eat my sword." Neal said, moving forward into the cave. "Did he ever say HOW to awaken Ma'eb?" he asked Emma, who shook her head.

"No, he really didn't… he said to 'break the seal', whatever that means."

She moved further into the cave, feeling drawn to a powerful magic… "I… I feel her." She said, as Neal looked at her.

"What?"

"I can feel Ma'eb… she's weak. But she's back here…" she said, as she moved to the back of the cave, to a crystal wall. She raised her hands to the wall and the cave began to rumble.

"Emma if you're going to cast a spell… now would be a good time." Neal said, but Emma shook her head.

"No. She's too weak. And I think she wants her magic back… She may help us willingly… Spelling her would kill her right now." She said, as the crystal cracked then shattered, releasing Ma'eb in a heap on the floor.

Ma'eb began to cough, and sputter. "Who are you?"

"I'm Emma… and I want to get you your magic back."

"Why? I was banished here by Merlin… left nearly powerless…"

"Because it will help someone I care about, but first… if we help you… leave Camelot out of your dispute with Merlin."

Neal looked at her in shock. "Emma…"

"Not now, Neal. Ma'eb, leave Camelot be. You don't need it, you're only after it to spite Merlin, right? So take your battle to him. Leave Arthur and Guinevere and her people alone."

"And if I do, you will allow me to return unharmed to Avalon?"

"Yes. Un-sealed, without being touched by magic. But you have to help me save my sister in the process… Merlin gave me the holy grail, but…"

"That will not save your sister. It will only save a pure soul, and she has been tainted by darkness. Merlin knew this, and still he sent you on a fool's quest, in vain. He merely wishes for my isolation, for me to be locked up… Look at Avalon. He did this by removing darkness. Without balance, there is nothing." Ma'eb said as she stood. "I will help you. I can take my own darkness back, leaving none in the current Dark One. She will be as she was before, or as she would have been."

Emma nodded, and put the light dagger away, sheathing it. "You have a deal."

As they stood, Neal moved over to her. "Can we trust her, Emma?"

"I've learned lately that sometimes heroes do stupid things for equally stupid reasons… sometimes they can't be fully trusted. And she makes sense… locking her up would leave this land in bad shape, I can't willingly doom these people to that…"

He nodded, taking her hand. "If you feel it's the right thing to do, I'll support you, but I'm worried, I won't lie. I've seen how darkness can be sneaky."

She nodded, as Ma'eb stretched behind them. "I understand. But it's the only way to save my sister… who still needs a name…" Emma said, as Neal laughed.

"Maybe let your parents do that when we get back."

Ma'eb grinned. "I can get you back."

"Merlin told us Arthur had something to get us back." Neal said, as Ma'eb laughed.

"And you believed him? If he could cross realms do you think he'd still be here?"

Emma's eyes went still for a moment, before she exchanged a look with Neal. "Ok… so what's your plan?"

"It's quite simple. The crystal that I was locked into? It has the power to cross realms, with a little push. It can also restore your souls and grant you your bodies back. You must gather the shards, charge them with magic, and will them into the realm you seek."

Emma looked at her, and nodded. Holding up a hand, she concentrated, summoning the shattered crystal to her. It floated around her, sparkling in the light.

"Good, now, charge it. Give the crystals just enough magic to create a portal."

Focusing, Emma sent out a shockwave of magic to the crystals, which began to glow a white light.

"Now, you and your companion must absorb a small amount of the crystals, but send the rest into the ground, make a portal!"

She closed her eyes, willing a small fraction of the crystals into her and Neal, and shuddering as she felt her breath stir, her heartbeat pick up. Neal stared at her in shock. They were alive.

Her eyes snapped open as she sent all of the remaining crystals into the ground, as a portal flared up beneath them. All three went through the portal, which opened on the other side…

In Storybrook.


	5. Ch 5- Home

_*****A/N - I'm so sorry this took so long... my youngest daughter has been having more health issues and more appointments, so I had no time for a while to do this or finish my Stargate fic. PLEASE keep in mind that even though this is where I see this story ending, I plan to work on a sequel where Emma and Neal head to Camelot, which will be solely Swanfire. It's being fleshed out as I type, and I plan to start on it soon. Thanks for the support and understanding, and I hope you all enjoy!*****_

They landed in Storybrooke in a whirl of clouds and a thud. Emma looked up to see Ma'eb land gently on her feet, glancing down in Emma's direction with a sneer, and a rustle of fabric. Emma groaned and got to her feet, as people began to poke their heads out of the doors of the buildings. It was eerily cold, and the sky was a strange shade of purple…

"The Weather Channel is probably having a field day with this…" Emma muttered, as Neal chuckled from behind her. They turned, looking around to try and get their bearings.

"Emma, something isn't right…"

"Emma?! Charming, get Regina! We need a sealing spell if she has one!" Snow said from the mayor's office, making Emma turn to look at her confused.

"M-mom?"

Snow's face turned to confusion, then realization. Her eyes welled with tears and she moved forward swiftly, pulling Emma into a hug. "Oh honey… you made it back…" Emma rested her head against Snow's shoulder gently, allowing herself to release a sigh of contentment. Home.

Neal came up behind her, making Snow jump and look at him in shock. "Neal?! You're alive?"

"Yeah long story short, Emma brought us back."

"And… who is this?" she asked, glancing to Ma'ab.

"I am Queen Ma'eb, and I am looking for your Dark One." Ma'eb said with a smirk, making Snow give her a look of distrust.

"Emma… why is she here?"

Emma glanced to Ma'eb, then back to Snow. "She's going to take her power back… she is the original Dark One. She is the only one who can hold the power and control it. Avalon is in ruins and warped because Merlin sealed her away...I'm not letting it stay that way if I can help it."

Snow's eyes went wide. "Emma, if she's evil you can't trust her… she may try and destroy us…"

Ma'eb began to laugh. "I have no quarrel with you, Snow White of Mysthaven. My only intent is to get my power back. You must remember, everything comes in a balance… that holds true for Avalon as well. When the darkness was sealed and sent away, it warped to try and compensate. When I return to Avalon, my grudge is against Merlin himself, not the land. I will leave Arthur and his people alone… I need his light to keep my dark alive." She grinned, as she walked past Snow.

"Well she's gone anyhow… I'm sorry, Emma, we used a spell to speak to her… we found out about you two splitting… and she got the dagger from your father…"

Emma groaned. "Great, this is going to be harder than I thought."

Ma'eb shrugged. "Not particularly. As I am free and resting, my power grows. I can sense it here. I can follow her. She will also be drawn to me, as I am the true host of the power. The power wants to come back to me."

Ma'e began to head for the woods, as Emma, Snow, and Neal followed. In that moment, Regina and Hook came out of the mayor's office. Killian stopped in his tracks.

"Swan?"

Emma stopped and looked at him. He walked up to them, and he went to cup her face, as she sighed and stopped him.

"It's hard to explain, but I'm not your Emma…"

He looked at her. "So it's true… you were twins?"

She nodded. "Yeah… Your love is her, the other Emma… who still needs a name…" she muttered, as Neal smirked a bit at that. "I love Neal… I always have…"

Killian nodded. "Can she be saved?"

Neal spoke up. "According to Ma'eb, she can. So you know, by the way…" he said, looking at Regina. "Henry would be considered this Emma's child. He was conceived while she had control of their body. He's her child. So how would we make sure that she would be considered his mother in this world?"

Regina looked at him, as they continued to follow Ma'eb. "Well, I would guess you would get her to sign over her rights, to make it legal. But I have main custody, at least, I should still have it. Once we returned here all of the paperwork and everything should have returned as well. I don't mind sharing it with you, to co-parent, but I won't lie, I won't share with two moms and a dad and a step dad…"

Emma snorted, grinning slightly, and nodded. "I totally get that, Regina. Trust me. I think that would make things too messy even for all of us."

They continued their walk, following Ma'eb as she trailed the power emanating from the Dark One. As they entered a heavily wooded forest, the trees around them suddenly were warped and darker.

"She is close. Her power is warping the plant life here. Tread carefully." Ma'eb warned, as they closed in on the Dark One. Emma nodded, her light magic flaring to life with ease and control that she had never really felt before.

As they rounded a corner, the shadows overtook them, and Neal moved to get to Emma. Emma turned to find Neal, but in the inky darkness, he was invisible to her. She turned around, and jumped as a pair of eyes looked at her, identical to her own.

She felt slender hands wrap around her throat, constricting, and she grabbed at them and her eyes went wide.

"Emma, Emma… you came to find me sis."

Emma stared at her sister, the dark appearance she was simply not used to, and threw a blast of magic to free herself. As she went to shoot another blast, the inky dark cleared, and Ma'eb grabbed her sister by the wrist.

"Ah, my delicious powers. Come back to me." Ma'eb said with a sneer, as the powers of the Dark One began to flow from Emma's sister and circled them. She blinked up at Ma'eb as the power left her, her mind clearing, the dark thoughts gone. Ma'eb dropped her in a heap, and absorbed the powers back into herself.

As the power re-entered Ma'eb, she let out a sigh of contentment. Her demeanor shifted, her confidence emanated from her body in waves. Even her clothing changed to reflect the difference, the waves upon waves of darkness turning her dress into a long gown, flowing, similar to the Snow Queen's. The power swirled around her neck and formed a pendant, a black opal that hung around a pewter chain, with a single purple diamond chip in it. Her hands became adorned with an intricate design, her nails elongating and turning a shining, shimmery black.

Ma'eb turned to look at Emma and her sister, smirking. "A deal is a deal… I'm leaving to go to Avalon. Hopefully, the balance has been restored and the land of the Once and Future King is back as it should be. My battle is with Merlin, not you." She turned, then, and in a wave of her hand, the portal to Avalon opened. She walked through, before creating a pendant, and throwing it to Emma, who caught it swiftly. It was a pewter chain with a sparkling quartz on it.

"Should you need to return to Avalon, use this. It's a key that can open a portal as many times as needed. It will only take you to Avalon, no other realms. Farewell."

And with that, Ma'eb was gone.

As the forest returned to normal, Killian rushed to the crumpled twin on the ground. He cradled her, looking at her worriedly.

"Are you alright, love?"

"I'm… I'm me." She smiled. "Whoever me is…"

"Uh… hey…" Emma walked forward, kneeling in front of her sister. "You need a name…"

"I think I already have one… We went as Emma Swan all on our own… I think… I feel right… as Swann. So… call me Swann. Swann Charming and Emma Charming."

Emma grinned, and nodded to Swann. "I think that's a good idea."

"I personally love that name." Killian said to her, grinning as she laughed and kissed him.

Neal stood behind Emma and wrapped his arm around her. "Explaining this to Henry is going to be fun."

Swann looked at them. "uh… About that. I don't… feel like a mother. More like an aunt?"

Emma nodded. "I figured. You can take an aunt role, if you want. It would make things easier for sure."

Regina put her hand on her hip. "Can we please discuss this somewhere less foresty? It smells like mildew and filth here."

"So… kind of like Robin then?" Emma quipped, making Regina glance at her, then smirk.

"It IS good to have you back, Emma."

"Yeah, it's good to be back."

 **Epilogue**

Dear Diary,

Well, we've been living apart now for a few weeks. It's been interesting, to say the least. It's all new, every emotion and every new feeling makes me feel like a new person all over again.

Neal and I have been together, Henry has been rotating between living with us, and living with Regina. It works out well. He really took it well when we explained everything. Said it made sense, that he thought I had shifted to more of a friend than a mom once Neal died.

Gold is awake, but weak. He warned us that Ma'eb is a dangerous woman, that she needs to be watched. After Ma'eb absorbed the powers, the dagger vanished. We went back to look for it but it was gone. And the pendant she gave me has been pulsating lately… I'm anxious to use it, I'd love to go back to Camelot, show Henry the place, but something is telling me things are not great there right now.

Something is drawing me and Neal to Camelot though…

I'm thinking tonight… we may be trying out this crystal.

So, if you're reading this and we went missing… that's what happened.

All my love,  
Emma Charming.


End file.
